Rain shield



June 7, 1955 JONES 2,710,013

RAIN SHIELD Filed March 2, 1953 INVENTOR. 06791? 4. J'a/wss.

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United States Patent RAIN SHIELD Edgar L. Jones, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application March 2, 1953, Serial No. 339,540

4 Claims. (Cl. 135-19.5)

This invention relates to a throw-away paperboard rain shield orumbrella adapted particularly for use in emergencies.

It is the object of the invention to provide a throw-away paperboardrain shield sufliciently inexpensive to permit them to be kept on handin quantities in stores, restaurants and the like, or at outdoor gamesand exhibitions in order that they may be supplied to customers orspectators in event of their being caught in a sudden rain or showerwith no protection. They thus may be given away or sold at a verynominal cost, with or without advertising material printed on them sothat after the immediate emergency is over they may be discarded. It isalso desired that they be so constructed as to lie flat in stackedrelation so that the supply would take up the minimum of space or beconveniently handled in batches or bundles for distribution.

In such throw-away rain shields or umbrellas it is customary that theybe made of a water proofed paperboard of suflicient strength to maintaintheir general shape while permitting of some bending or flexing, saidshields also being equally useful as sun shields.

It is the feature of this invention to provide the shield with aneconomical and efiicient supporting and holding member which when not inuse will lie fiat against the shield so as not to interfere with thestacking thereof, but which, in lieu of the usual handle, will permitthe shield to be supported on the forearm to be held over ones headwhile leaving the hand free to hold or grip other articles.

In one form of the invention such holding and supporting membercomprises a pair of adjustable straps through which the forearm may beextended with the hand free. Other forms of the invention reside in aforearm supporting or holding strap which is secured to the shield atboth ends to form a loop through which the forearm may be extended. Saidholding or supporting member or members are preferably formed of thesame paperboard material and secured to the underside of the shield.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the rain shield illustrating its mounting uponthe forearm of the user.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the shield showing thesupporting or holding straps in position before adjustment to theforearm.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the underside of a shield with a modifiedform of a supporting or holding member.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged central vertical section through the shield andholding member expanded to shield holding position to shield the user.

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings there is shown a rain shield comprising a disk which maybe made of water proofed paperboard or an inexpensive light flexiblematerial such that it will normally hold its shape. Whereas the shield10 is herein shown as circular, it may be of any suitable ice shape orconfiguration in peripheral outline, and while referred to herein as arain shield it may be similarly used as a sun shield or shade. It isnormally flat so that a large number of said shields may be convenientlystored, packaged or carried without interfering bulging handles or thelike. The shield is adapted to be held over the head, preferably throughbeing supported upon the forearm of the user as indicated at 11, leavingthe hand, as indicated at 12, free to hold any article 13 as desired.With the shield supported upon the forearm the user may raise hisforearm above his head and thus support the shield in proper positionfor the desired protection.

In one form of the invention the shield is shown as having an adjustableforearm holding member comprising a pair of spaced paperboard straps 14each secured at one end thereof to the underside of the shield, asindicated at 15, by gluing, stapling or the like. They are preferablyarranged in parallel spaced relation with each other, each having itsfree end portions provided with a series of cut out locking tabs 16. Tothe underside of the shield there is secured a paperboard locking bar 17glued, stapled or otherwise secured to the shield at spaced intervals toleave free loop portions 18 through and under which the free ends of thestraps 14 may be inserted for interlocking the tabs 16 therewith, asshown in Fig. 1.

By means of this arrangement the user of the shield may rest his forearmthereon and loop the straps over the forearm, extending the free endsthereof through the loop portions 18 and cause one of the looping tabsto interlock therewith to adjustably hold the straps sufiiciently tightabout the forearm to hold the shade in place thereon. The hand is thenfree to grasp any article, if desired, and the forearm moved over thehead to present the shield in its protecting position.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 3, 4 and S, theshield 10 has secured to the underside thereof a flat paperboard strap20 glued or stapled at opposite sides thereof as at 21, leaving theintermediate portion of the strap free to separate from the shield toprovide a holding strap when the forearm of the user is insertedtherebetween. When the shield is not in use, the strap will lie flatthereon as shown in Fig. 5, for convenient storing, packaging andcarrying. When it is put into use, the user inserts his hand and forearmthrough the free intermediate portion of the strap, causing it to bulgeoutwardly which in turn will form a bulge in the shield, as shown inFig. 4. The free bulged portion of the strap 20 thus provides a suitablesupporting or holding member for mounting the shield on the forearm,leaving the hand free in the manner above described with respect to thestructure shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The invention claimed is:

l. A shield of the character described comprising a normally fiat disk,a pair of holding straps each having one end thereof secured to theunderside of said disk, and a locking member secured to said shield forreceiving and interlocking therewith the free ends of said straps toextend over the forearm of the user.

2. A shield of the character described comprising a normally flat disk,a pair of holding straps arranged substantially midway of said disk inparallel spaced relation, means for securing one end of each of saidstraps to the underside of said shield, a locking member secured to theunderside of said shield in opposed spaced relation to the secured endsof said straps, and means for interlocking the free ends of said strapswith said locking member.

3. A shield of the character described comprising a normally flat diskof waterproofed paperboard, a pair of spaced parallel paperboard straps,each having one end thereof permanently secured to the underside of saiddisk, at paperboard locking bar secured to the underside of said disk inopposed spaced relation to the secured ends of said 3 straps, said barhaving freed portions through which the free ends of said straps areadapted to be inserted, and a series of locking tabs on the free ends ofsaid straps adapted to be selectively interengaged with said bar foradjustably securing the free ends of said straps in embracing relationwith the forearm of the user.

4. A shield of the character described comprising a normally flatpaperboard disk, and a pair of outwardly bulged supporting and holdingstraps mounted in parallel spaced relation each of said strap having itsopposite References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Park Aug. 19, 1924 Berman Aug. 5, 1952

